Public Debate – Resolved: Representative democracy has failed October 11, 2017, 6:00pm
Bard College, Campus Center MPR
Opening event for the Hannah Arendt Center Conference – “Crises of Democracy: Thinking in Dark Times” (October 12-13, 2017). This debate will feature both the Bard and West Point debate teams on mixed teams. Co-sponsored by the Bard Debate Union, the Hannah Arendt Center, the Center for Civic Engagement, and the Bard-West Point exchange. For more information about this year’s Hannah Arendt Center Conference, visit: http://hac.bard.edu/con2017

Roundtable – Trump and American Foreign PolicyOctober 21, 2017, 2:45pm
Bard College, Olin Auditorium
Faculty members Jonathan Becker (Vice President for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor of Political Studies, and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement) and Walter Russell Mead (James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and the Humanities) join members of the Bard Debate Union for a Family Weekend Faculty-Student Roundtable discussion on President Trump and the state of American Foreign Policy today.

Workshop – Middle School/High School DebateNovember 18, 2017, 11:00am-3:00pmBard College, Olin Humanities Building
Bard Debate Union members together with the Red Hook High School Debate Club will run a workshop for area students and teachers focused on starting debate clubs, recruitment, debate training tools and skills, and a full practice debate for all participants.

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: Race-based affirmative action in college and university admissions should be eliminatedDecember 1, 2017, 1:00pmEastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against Morehouse College. This is the eighth debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility.

Workshop – MLK, Civic Engagement, and DebateJanuary 14, 2018, 1:30pmOlin Humanities Building, Moon RoomA student-run workshop, as part of Bard’s “MLK Day of Engagement,” for current Bard students to learn about the Bard Debate Union, about debate opportunities on campus, and about argumentation. There will also be a practice debate based around the topics of political protest and civil disobedience.

Intra-Network Online Debate – This house believes that governments should set up, support, and fund state-backed media organizations with the aim of providing impartial, balanced news.Feb 19, 2018, 8:00am
Bard College, Old Henderson 303
Debate team members from Bard Network campuses – Al Quds Bard, American University of Central Asia, and Bard College – will debate online.

7th Annual Middle School/High School Debate Tournament at Bard CollegeMarch 2, 2018, 8:30am-3:15pm
Bard College, Olin AuditoriumDebate topics for the tournament include:1. Resolved: Individuals should be required to pass a civics test in order to vote.

2. Resolved: The United States Federal Government should provide no-cost higher education for all American citizens.3. Resolved: Artificial intelligence will do more harm than good.

Second Bard Network Debate ConferenceMarch 15-16, 2018Smolny College – St. Petersburg, RussiaTwo students and one faculty/staff member from each of Bard’s six network campuses (Al Quds Bard, American University of Central Asia, Bard College Annandale, Bard College Berlin, European Humanities University, and Smolny College) will join together for two days of lectures, workshops, and debates. All conference participants will then participate in the St. Petersburg Open Debate Tournament at Smolny College on March 17-18.

Resolved: Bard should not invite speakers with extremist political views to campusApril 3, 2018, 6:30pmBard College, Weis CinemaFollowing several events over the past year, Bard community members have been left asking whether or not speakers with extremist views should be invited to campus. Join us for a student-run public debate on this exciting and controversial Bardian topic!

BPI Public Debate – Topic TBDApril 27, 2018, 1-3pmEastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against the US Military Academy at West Point. This is the ninth debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility. Co-Sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and the Bard-West Point Exchange.

2016-2017:

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: The president of the United States should be elected by popular voteSeptember 23, 2016, 1:00pmEastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against Brown University. This is the sixth debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility.

Screening – Presidential Debate September 26, 2016, 9:00pm
Bard College, Weis Cinema
Join members of the Bard Debate Union to watch the first presidential debate. Co-sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and Election@bard.

Public Debate – Resolved: The rapid rise of “safe space” rhetoric on college campuses has done more harm than goodOctober 18, 2016, 7:00pm
Bard College, Campus Center MPR
Opening event for the Hannah Arendt Center Conference – “Real Talk: Difficult Questions about Race, Sex and Religion” (October 20-21, 2016). This debate will feature both the Bard and West Point debate teams on mixed teams. Co-sponsored by the Bard Debate Union, the Hannah Arendt Center, the Center for Civic Engagement, and the Bard-West Point exchange. For more information about this year’s Hannah Arendt Center Conference, visit: http://hac.bard.edu/con2016

Screening – Presidential DebateOctober 19, 2016, 9:00pm
Bard College, Weis Cinema
Join members of the Bard Debate Union to watch the third and final presidential debate. Co-sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and Election@bard.

Roundtable – The 2016 Presidential RaceOctober 29, 2016, 5:00pm
Bard College, Olin Auditorium
Faculty members Jonathan Becker (Vice President for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor of Political Studies, and Director of the Center for Civic Engagement) and Walter Russell Mead (James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and the Humanities) join members of the Bard Debate Union for a Family Weekend Roundtable discussion on the 2016 presidential race and its global implications.

Intra-Network Online Debate – Resolved: All nations have a right to nuclear weaponsNovember 14, 2016, 10:00am
Bard College, Old Henderson 303
Members of the Bard College Debate Union, the Bard College Berlin Debate Team, the Al Quds Bard Debate Union, and Smolny College Debate Team will debate against one another in our first Intra-Network online debate on the topic, “This house believes that all states have a right to nuclear weapons.”

6th Annual Middle School/High School Debate Tournament at Bard CollegeFebruary 17, 2017, 8:30am-3:15pm
Bard College, Olin LC 115Debate topics for the tournament include:
1. Resolved: Social media does more harm than good for the distribution of news.
2. Resolved: Elected politicians should be paid the median wage in their country.
3. Resolved: The personal ownership of pets is immoral.

Bard Network Debate ConferenceMarch 15-18, 2017 Central European University – Budapest, Hungary
Two students and one faculty/staff member from each of Bard’s six network campuses (Al Quds Bard, American University of Central Asia, Bard College Annandale, Bard College Berlin, European Humanities University, and Smolny College) will join together for four days of lectures, workshops, and debates.

Public Debate – Resolved: The production of fake news should be criminalizedMarch 18, 2017, 4:00pmCentral European University – Budapest, Hungary
The final event of the Bard Network Debate Conference. The debate will feature one student from each of Bard’s six network campuses (Al Quds Bard, American University of Central Asia, Bard College Annandale, Bard College Berlin, European Humanities University, and Smolny College).

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: The rapid automation of labor does more harm than goodApril 21, 2017, 1:00pmEastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against the US Military Academy at West Point. This is the seventh debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility. Co-Sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and the Bard-West Point Exchange.

2015-2016:

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: Public schools in the United States should have the ability to deny enrollment to undocumented studentsSeptember 18, 2015, 1:00pm
Eastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against Harvard University. This is the fourth debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility.

Bard College Invitational Final Round – This house supports the creation of public afro-centric schoolsSeptember 20, 2015, 5:30pm
Bard College, Olin Auditorium
Bard College Invitational Final Round. The four best teams from the Bard College Invitational will have it out amongst themselves to determine the tournament champion. The topic will be announced 15 minutes before the start of the debate!

Public Debate – Resolved: National security is more important than the individual right to privacyOctober 14, 2015, 7:00pm
Bard College, Campus Center MPR
Hannah Arendt Center Conference Public Debate. This debate will feature students from both Bard and West Point! Co-sponsored by the Hannah Arendt Center, the Center for Civic Engagement, and the Bard-West Point exchange.

Roundtable – The Middle East Meltdown – What Should the US Do?October 23, 2015, 7:30pm
Bard College, RKC 103
Family Weekend Faculty/Student Roundtable. Faculty members Walter Russell Mead and James Ketterer join members of the Bard Debate Union for a round-table discussion on this important issue in current events. Co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement and the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program.

Workshop – Citizen Science January 25, 2016, 7:00pmBard College, Campus Center Red Room
Citizen Science debate workshop and demo debate on the topic: This house believes that governments should heavily restrict the use of antibiotics. New debaters welcome and encouraged to attend!

5th Annual Middle School/High School Debate Tournament at Bard CollegeFebruary 26, 2016, 8:30am-3:15pm
Bard College, Olin LC 115Debate topics for the tournament include:
1. Resolved: The West should accept all refugees fleeing from conflict
2. Resolved: Nations should focus on adapting to climate change rather than preventing it
3. Resolved: Voting in presidential elections should be mandatory for all eligible US voters

Public Debate – Resolved: The US should move faster than the Paris Agreement to cut global warming pollutionApril 4, 2016, 7:00pm
Bard College, Campus Center MPR
Public debate with Vassar College. Co-Sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and Bard’s Center for Environmental Policy and part of the Power Dialog (http://www.bard.edu/cep/powerdialog/).

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: American corporations should not have constitutional rightsApril 15, 2016, 1:00pm
Eastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against the US Military Academy at West Point. This is the fifth debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility. Co-Sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and the Bard-West Point Exchange.

2014-2015:

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: NATO should be immediately disbandedSeptember 19, 2014, 1:00pm
Eastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against the University of Vermont. This is the second debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility.

Bard College Invitational Final Round – Resolved: Police departments should be required to be racially representative of the communities that they policeSeptember 21, 2014, 5:30pm
Bard College, Olin Auditorium
Bard College Invitational Final Round. The four best teams from the Bard College Invitational will have it out amongst themselves to determine the tournament champion. The topic will be announced 15 minutes before the start of the debate!

Public Debate – Resolved: Individualism is an American value worth fighting for October 7, 2014, 7:00pm
Bard College, Campus Center MPR
Hannah Arendt Center Conference Public Debate. Co-sponsored by the Hannah Arendt Center, the Center for Civic Engagement, and the Bard-West Point exchange, this debate will feature both faculty and students from both Bard and West Point!

Roundtable – The US and ISIS – What should be done?October 24, 2014, 7:30pm
Bard College, RKC 103
Family Weekend Faculty/Student Roundtable. Faculty members Walter Russell Mead and Peter Rosenblum join members of the Bard Debate Union for a round-table discussion on this important issue in current events. Co-sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement and the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program.

4th Annual Middle School/High School Debate Tournament at Bard CollegeFebruary 27, 2015, 8:30am – 3:15pm
Bard College, Olin LC 115
Debate topics for the tournament include:
1. Resolved: Police officers in the United States should patrol without firearms
2. Resolved: When in conflict with one another, national security is more important than the protection of individual liberties
3. Resolved: Homework in primary and secondary education should be abolished

Public Debate – Should hate speech be criminalized?March 4, 2015, 7:00pm
Bard College, Weis Cinema
Public debate in response to the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris and recent political discussions about the implications of limiting free speech.

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: The United States Federal Government should nationalize the pharmaceutical industryApril 24, 2015, 1:00pm
Eastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against the US Military Academy at West Point. This is the third debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility. Co-Sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and the Bard-West Point Exchange.

Public Debate – Resolved: Voting in national elections should be compulsoryApril 25, 2015, 1:30pm
Bard College, RKC 103
Public debate for prospective students and their families on Accepted Students Day. A brief info session about debate at Bard will follow the debate.

2013-2014:

Public Debate – Resolved: Drones do more good than harmSeptember 12, 2013, 7:00pmBard College, Campus Center MPR
Bard/West Point Exchange Debate. Featuring Bard College Professor of International Law and Human Rights, Peter Rosenblum, and West Point Instructor of American Politics, Captain Adam Scher. Co-Sponsored by the Bard Debate Union, the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard, the Center for Civic Engagement, the Human Rights Project, and the Bard-West Point Exchange

Public Debate – Resolved: The war powers authority of the President of the United States to authorize indefinite detention should be restrictedJanuary 29, 2014, 7:00pm
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library (Hyde Park, NY)
Public debate as part of a national series of public debates on the topic of presidential war powers taking place at presidential libraries all over the US. Participants include students from Bard College, West Point, Cornell University, St. John’s University, and SUNY Binghamton. Event is free and open to the public!

3rd Annual Middle and High School Debate Tournament at Bard CollegeFebruary 28, 2014, 8:30am – 3:15pmBard College, Olin Language Center 115
Topics include:
1. Resolved: When met with disproportionate violence, protestors have the right to respond with violence. (Demo Debate topic)
2. Resolved: The United States should eliminate its weapons of mass destruction
3. Resolved: The smart phone does more harm than good

BPI Public Debate – Resolved: The United States should fund the development of a comprehensive high-speed rail systemApril 4, 2014, 1:00pm
Eastern NY Correctional Facility
Public-style debate against the Military Academy at West Point. This is the first debate hosted by the Bard Debate Union at Eastern NY Correctional Facility. Co-Sponsored by the Bard Debate Union and the Bard-West Point Exchange.

2nd Annual Middle and High School Debate Tournament at Bard CollegeMarch 1, 2013, 8:30am – 2:00pmBard College, Olin Language Center 115
Topics include:
1. Resolved: The federal government should require 2 years of civil/national service for all United States citizens between the ages of 18 and 24
2. The personal possession of handguns should be outlawed in the United States

Public Debate – Resolved: The United States should actively support democracy efforts in ‘Arab Spring’ nationsSeptember 29, 2011, 7:30pmBard College, RKC 103 (Laszlo Z. Bito ’60 Auditorium)
Public Debate vs. The Lawrence Debate Union of the University of Vermont

Public Debate – Resolved: The drinking age in the United States should be lowered to 18November 4, 2011, 7:00pmUniversity of Vermont, Marsh Life Sciences Building 235
Public Debate at the University of Vermont

Public Debate – Resolved: The use of animal testing in scientific research does more harm than goodJanuary 18, 2012, 7:00pmBard College, RKC 103 (Laszlo Z. Bito ’60 Auditorium)
Citizen Science Public Debate

Public Debate – Resolved: Community fines should be instituted at Bard CollegeFebruary 22, 2012, 7:00pmBard College, RKC 103 (Laszlo Z. Bito ’60 Auditorium)
Public Debate on a Pressing Community Issue

1st Annual Middle and High School Debate Tournament at Bard CollegeFriday, March 9, 2012, 8:30am – 2:00pmOlin Language Center 115
Topics include:
1. Resolved: Facebook does more harm than good
2. Resolved: The voting age in the United States should be lowered to 16

Public Debate – Can war be just?April 24, 2012, 7:00pmBard College, Campus Center MPR
Public Debate as part of the Just War Conference between Bard and West Point
Co-Sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement and the Bard-West Point Exchange